GSA Capital Partners LLP Increases Holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW)

GSA Capital Partners LLP grew its holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE:BBW) by 32.0% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 23,437 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,680 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP’s holdings in Build-A-Bear Workshop were worth $806,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Koss Olinger Consulting LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Koss Olinger Consulting LLC now owns 20,186 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $694,000 after buying an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. SummerHaven Investment Management LLC now owns 34,467 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $871,000 after acquiring an additional 469 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its position in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 3.3% in the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 23,483 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $807,000 after acquiring an additional 754 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Build-A-Bear Workshop by 17.6% in the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 5,812 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $201,000 after acquiring an additional 871 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in shares of Build-A-Bear Workshop by 705.8% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 1,104 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 967 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.30% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Build-A-Bear Workshop

In other Build-A-Bear Workshop news, CEO Sharon Price John sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.32, for a total value of $1,666,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 465,004 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,493,933.28. This trade represents a 9.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Eric R. Fencl sold 17,274 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.05, for a total transaction of $605,453.70. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 137,078 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,804,583.90. This trade represents a 11.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 130,734 shares of company stock valued at $4,510,217. 7.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Stock Performance

NYSE BBW opened at $36.28 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $35.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.13. Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. has a one year low of $21.24 and a one year high of $40.13. The firm has a market cap of $490.43 million, a PE ratio of 10.19 and a beta of 1.54.

Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE:BBW) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 29th. The specialty retailer reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.07. Build-A-Bear Workshop had a return on equity of 37.81% and a net margin of 10.36%. The firm had revenue of $111.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $107.90 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.57 EPS. Research analysts predict that Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. will post 3.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Build-A-Bear Workshop declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, September 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to repurchase up to 23.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 27th will be given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 27th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.21%. Build-A-Bear Workshop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.47%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on BBW. Northland Securities boosted their target price on Build-A-Bear Workshop from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 30th. StockNews.com downgraded Build-A-Bear Workshop from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th.

About Build-A-Bear Workshop

Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc operates as a multi-channel retailer of plush animals and related products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Direct-to-Consumer, Commercial, and International Franchising. Its merchandise comprises various styles of plush products to be stuffed, pre-stuffed plush products, and sounds and scents that can be added to the stuffed animals, as well as range of clothing, shoes and accessories, and other toy and novelty items, including family sleepwear.